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Nitish Debunks Rumor of Running for PM's Post

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New Delhi: Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, while appearing on the 'Agenda' program on Aaj Tak television channel in New Delhi on Thursday, said that he was not in the run for the post of Prime Minister but favored a candidate who belonged to a major party and had strong political credentials.

Saying he was not in the race despite conflicting reports in the media, the Chief Minister said that he believed the candidate for the nation's top post should not only belong to a major political party, he or she must also be a proven, strong politician.

"Many names, including the names of Narendra Modi, Rahul Gandhi, and even Mulayam Singh Yadav, are being floated for the post of Prime Minister but I have no delusion about myself as I am not interested in it," Kumar said.

The Chief Minister further said that while he had a lot of respect for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, he believed the PM must also be an able politician.

"Former Prime Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee was a leader like that," he said.

On the issue of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), Kumar said while he favored FDI in infrastructural investment, he was opposed to the idea of FDI in the retail sector.

In New Delhi, Kumar also met with the Prime Minister and shared his experience about his recent trip to Pakistan. He also raised the issue of special status for Bihar urging Singh to seriously consider it to speed-up development process in the state.

The Chief Minister, who was accompanied by Bihar Food and Consumer Protection Minister Shyam Rajak, met with Central Food Minister K. V. Thomas and appealed him to grant more time to sell the last year's rice to the Food Corporation of India (FCI) on relaxed terms.

Kumar also shared some moments with civil right activists Anna Hazare during which he lauded his efforts to wipe-off corruption from the government.